Everything Under the Moon

SnowCat wrote:It reaffirms my thought that I don't belong in a coven.

Then it's served its purpose, Snowiest of cats. Some people just flat-out don't suit covens, and covens don't suit them.

firebirdflys wrote:Just curious, ...the term warlock is not usually used in the context of witchcraft as I understand it....and has been generally associated with evil/dark side/satan etc, and it's meaning is "oath breaker."

This is my post over at Witchvox, which was pretty heavily edited, but explains why I believe that "warlock" is the correct term for a male witch. I can repost it here for discussion if it's considered of interest, but I know it's a difficult topic for some people.

firebirdflys wrote:The term witch is androgynous and works for either sex...or however one defines their gender.

I disagree. In a religion or practice such as Witchcraft, one that very clearly accepts the strong balance between male and female aspects of deity (among other considerations) and the two being different, it's always struck me as logically bizarre that all members of the craft would take one title.

In all honesty, I don't mind whether or not people call themselves witches, warlocks, magi, wizards, sorcerors, magicians, occultists, or anything else; the term you find most stimulating is the term to use, in my view.

I appreciate the fact that you wish to reclaim a word that doesn't necessarily have positive attributes to it just as the word witch doesn't necessarily have history in positivity.

Imperious wrote:In a religion or practice such as Witchcraft, one that very clearly accepts the strong balance between male and female aspects of deity (among other considerations) and the two being different, it's always struck me as logically bizarre that all members of the craft would take one title.

many would disagree that witchcraft in and of itself to be a religion and therefore a devine he/she isn't even in the mix. For those who feel religion and the Craft mix, it is on them to decide how the devine fits in.
In this day and age where peoples as a whole are finding ways to be comfortable in their skin regardless of what gender they ascribe to it's important to have words that encompasses all who practice the Craft.
Your outline is good, keeping in mind the 3 levels can be viewed in other ways, as can the title you wish to take.

@ imperious ...why I believe that "warlock" is the correct term for a male witch. I can repost it here for discussion if it's considered of interest, but I know it's a difficult topic for some people.

I invite you to start such a thread, it sounds like it would be interesting.

bb, Firebird

I think a discussion of witch, warlock, or something else would be beneficial. Some of our younger members choose what to call themselves based on how cool it sounds to them. Having some actual background on the terminology might steer people in a more appropriate direction. Or not, in some cases.

SnowCat

Ditto!
I think it will be interesting too.

SnowCat wrote:I think a discussion of witch, warlock, or something else would be beneficial. Some of our younger members choose what to call themselves based on how cool it sounds to them. Having some actual background on the terminology might steer people in a more appropriate direction. Or not, in some cases.

SnowCat

I agree (yep, I'm jumping on the mod/support pile). I love your contributions so far to clear up some details on a topic many practitioners tend to have a lot of questions about (myself included), and would love to see more.

I'm not Wiccan, I've always been solitary, and for me it's always been something I kind of wanted to know a bit about but it's never been a part of my path. So far, your posts have been enlightening.

I'll post it, but I also have another small project I'm considering at the moment which is much wider in scope.

Becks wrote:I love the way you lay this out.

I agree; this is wonderfully written and easy to understand.